Leaving my parents in England visiting family; I went to Barcelona to party with local friends Ernest and Jordi. Ernest and Jordi were students of Leigh (who I had stayed with last time I was in Barcelona). They had recently travelled to Australia and were now back in Barcelona at university.

This time, I stayed at Ernest’s house with his parents and sister. His mother, Lidia, took me to a modern flamenco show one night. It was very different to what I had previously seen of the traditional dance in Seville, kind of like the difference between modern dance and traditional ballet.

Ernest and Jordi took me to Parc de la Citadella which seemed to be a bit of a student hang- out. There were musicians, fountains and modern statues. We went to Zara and complained about how much the prices had gone up since the introduction of the Euro the previous year.

We went to Parc Guell for its famous view of Barcelona and I was in love at first sight with the place. I marvelled at the pillars, tunnels and ceiling detail underpinning the balcony and the brightly coloured gate houses. My favourite part was the lizard statue on the staircase.

As previously mentioned, the real life in Barcelona starts at night, and this trip was no exception. Most nights we partied too hard, got up too late the next day and missed the entry times for Gaudi’s other masterpieces such as La Pedra and Casa Balto.

We walked La Rambla at night and went to the Mercat del Born. I witnessed the best fountain show I have seen- La Font Magica at Placa de Espanya. The coloured fountains were magnificent and perfectly timed to the music.

There were many new bars on the beach were you could sit on a deck chair with a cocktail and we danced the night away at Otto Zutz nightclub.

I flew back to London for more bar hopping with my friend Selina who was living there with her boyfriend at the time and to travel to Weymouth to visit my grandmother.

Fog in London delayed my flight back to Australia in Paris for 2 days. I was put up in an airport hotel and eventually flown to Melbourne instead of Sydney, but there are worst places you can be stuck in than Paris, that’s for sure!

I went to Sacre Cour to marvel at the white washed building and a view of Paris that was new to me. I wandered through the Monmarte district taking in the artistic alleyways, Moulin Rouge and Monmarte Cemetery which was beautiful in its own way and full of cats.

Flying out of the ridiculously hard to navigate Charles De Gaulle airport on the way home, I hoped that I would never have to go through there again. The only way to get from one terminal to the next was by a bus that only traveled in one direction which almost made me miss my flight again!

In Madrid, Sarah and I saw the Palacio Real and views of the city from the Campo del Moro. The red buildings in Plaza Mayor reminded me of Place des Voges in Paris.

We went to the pretty enough Parque del Retiro, saw the Monumento a Alfonso 12 in the middle of a big lake and walked down the Paseo le Argentina to find the Crystal Palace.

After Barcelona, I found Madrid disappointing. Perhaps it was the fact that Madrid is an inland city and I preferred the coastal Barcelona. Or maybe it is the people you know that make a place.

In Granada, we went to see the Alhambra. Most impressive fortress/palace EVER!

The Generalife gardens were simply beautiful- especially the three fountains of the Mirador and the interesting Escalera del Agua which are stairs with a water handrail.

We went to the Patio de Los Arrayanes, saw the famous lions of Patio de Los Leones and visited the Torres Bermejast with its majestic views of Granada.

Nearby, we journeyed to the Albaizin white washed Moorish quarter and got lost in the Sacromonte gypsy area with its cute little cave houses built into the mountain.

In Seville, we stayed in the Pension Orense in the Santa Cruz area. We came to see the Los Gallos flamenco dancing show and drink sangria.

The next day, the well known Plaza de Espana was first on our list and did not disappoint. Just magnificent.

We took a guided tour of the Plaza de Torres de la Maestanza, the oldest bull ring in the world, which is still in use. The animal rights activist in me balked at the bull’s heads on the walls with ears cut off as trophies, but the traveller in me respected this cultural traditional of Spain.

We headed back to Barcelona for the Festival of the Dead, fireworks and more drinks in a Mexican bar.